Steelers “have to keep the emotions in line” against Browns this week

[Steely McBeam]

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No one needs a long memory to recall what happened the last time the Browns and Steelers faced each other in a game.

A fight at the end of a Thursday night game in Week 11 resulted in three suspensions and saw 33 players disciplined by the NFL for their actions, so the idea of just forgetting what happened by next Sunday is an impossibility. For the Steelers, the key will be keeping those memories from influencing their actions.

Linebacker Bud Dupree said the team has “to put the past in the past” and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva said he’s only thinking about “the next opponent we have on the schedule.”

“We have to understand our opponent and get ready for the task, but I think you have to keep the emotions in line because we understand how critical that is to our performance,” defensive end Cam Heyward said, via Tom Reed of TheAthletic.com. “We have to get off the field without giving them yardage and penalties, [otherwise] that lets their offense stay on the field. We’re not even concerned with [revenge]. They beat us and we’re looking to get a ‘W.’ That’s it.”

Sunday’s results left the Steelers in the No. 6 spot in the AFC and staying in the playoff mix should provide plenty of motivation aside from any thoughts of payback that might be lingering in Pittsburgh this week.